Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Jose Alvarez, 31, of Trenton, NJ, was sentenced to 14 months of imprisonment today in United States District Court by United States District Judge Christina Reiss. Alvarez previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport foreign nationals in furtherance of their illegal entry into the United States. Judge Reiss also ordered that Alvarez serve three years of supervised release after he serves his term of imprisonment. According to court records, at about 3 am on September 25, 2022, Alvarez was arrested near East Berkshire, Vermont after he had picked up four Guatemalan citizens who had just entered the United States illegally. Three of the foreign nationals stated each expected to pay $2000 to $3000 to Alvarez or his associates as a fee to be smuggled into the United States.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.38 per gallon, down 4 cents per gallon from last week, down 4 cents/g from last month and down 83 cents/g from the same period last year, according to GasBuddy. The lowest price in Vermont is $2.99/g in Middlebury and the highest price is $3.59 in Jay. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.40/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine The Future of Vermont Action Team is launching a statewide Youth Opportunity Initiative, facilitated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development, to embark on a deep engagement process to draw input from youth, community members, parents, advocates, municipal leaders, educators, school administrators, business owners, policy experts, and more to identify strategies and action to advance youth opportunity, aspiration, and community connection. In 2021, the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) built The Vermont Proposition which outlines a bold proposal to set our state on a trajectory toward success, vitality, and prosperity for the next 30 years based on input from thousands of Vermonters. A diverse group of 20 leaders convened and facilitated by VCRD, known as the Future of Vermont Action Team, have been further defining and implementing the ten elements of the Vermont Proposition.

Vermont State Police The Vermont State Police is investigating the death of a man whose body was found Tuesday evening, March 21, 2023, in the town of Jay. The victim in this incident is identified as Byron M Camber, 27, of North Troy. An autopsy was performed Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The cause and manner of death remain pending toxicology testing, which can take several weeks to several months. The investigation into this death is active and ongoing. State police will release additional details as the investigation proceeds.

Vermont Business Magazine Addressing the challenge regarding the next generation’s captive workforce, several rising captive professionals have partnered with the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) to formalize the Vermont Captive Insurance Emerging Leaders (VCIEL), a group that will be a platform not only to recruit students to the industry, but also to cultivate the emerging talent already working in captives. VCIEL holds regular meetings and welcomes more captive professionals to bolster its group. It will provide student outreach and networking opportunities, as well as build out a roster of talented speakers to infuse the captive conference circuit with fresh energy. A launch party occurs on April 12th from 5:30-7:30pm at Pizza44 in Burlington, and the broader captive community is invited to support this initiative.